


The Queen's Banishment

by ma_r



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst, Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Canon Era, Dubious Consent, M/M, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:41:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22567237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ma_r/pseuds/ma_r
Summary: Five months have passed since Queen Guinivere was escorted to Tintagel Castle.People know that her sudden departure from court life is not due to an illness, but rather to an affair that she had with a foreign Lord.Rumor has it that it was the King who stumbled into the Queen’s affair. People say that the sight turned a significant part of him into stone.When the Queen left, the people whisper,she took with her the King's heart.
Relationships: Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 258





	The Queen's Banishment

**Author's Note:**

> About the Dubious Consent tag:  
> Like in the episode of Lancelot du Lac (4x09) Gwen is wearing an enchanted bracelet that makes her believe she is in love with someone. In the episode this someone was Lancelot, in this story its the foreign Lord.

Five months have passed since Queen Guinivere was escorted to Tintagel Castle.

People know that her sudden departure from court life is not due to an illness, but rather to an affair she had with a foreign Lord.

Rumor has it that it was the King who stumbled into the Queen’s affair. People say that the sight turned a significant part of him into stone.

 _When the Queen left_ , the people whisper, _she took with her the King's heart._

* * *

Merlin wasn’t one for gossip. More often than not, the rumors that entertained the citadel were all false. The story changing with each retelling. But this five-month-old gossip was almost completely true. The story had one detail wrong and one detail missing. The wrong one was that the Queen hadn’t taken the King’s heart, she had just broken it. The one missing was that Gwen had been under an enchantment. And it was this enchantment that had made her believe that she loved the foreign Lord. 

With his heart damaged, the King had been more distant than ever. Completely withdrawn into his court persona. He rarely smiled. He was less eager to prove himself in combat against his knights or to take off into the night to hunt a great beast. The King was quiet, pensive and unsure. With each passing day, Merlin saw less and less of the man he loved. Arthur refused to engage in their usual banter, ignored any attempts of conversation. When he ordered Merlin to do something, the King seemed to bark the words, expecting the servant to comply immediately and without an ounce of hesitation. 

In the months after Gwen’s banishment, Arthur had also become borderline cruel. 

The King would scream and snap at anyone or anything. Ordering punishments for petty mistakes that he usually ignored. Sentencing criminals to harsh punishments that became harsher as the season changed. When the oppressive heat of summer started to dwell, the King became obsessed with the safety of Camelot. This obsession translated into careless behavior during training, pushing the knights and himself to the far reaches of human stamina. He was impulsive with his decisions, putting in danger the knights he sent to patrol, caring nothing for the climate, the health of his men or the state of the horses. 

In other words, Arthur was behaving completely out of character. And if Merlin was honest with himself, Arthur’s recent behavior reminded him of Uther. It was this reminder that pushed Merlin to his conclusion: it didn’t matter that Arthur’s heart was broken, possibly beyond recognition. It was completely unimaginable that King would behave in such a way if he had control over it, ergo, the King didn’t. 

Agrivaine was still in court after all. Poisoning Arthur’s mind with ill intentions and false advice. Working with Morgana to take Arthur’s control and confidence aways from him. It was obvious that the traitor was responsible for it. 

Gaius wasn’t as sure about Merlin’s conclusion. But then again, the old man was often wrong when it came to such things. His mentor was a scientist, someone who always chose to believe what he could see or prove. Merlin was his opposite. The servant had magic running through his veins, his bones were made of ground stardust and sunlight shone through his eyes. What he couldn’t see or prove was just another part of the world, another part of him.

With his theory in mind, Merlin decided that there was only one course of action he could take. He had to observe the King and find the item causing the enchantment. For Gwen, it had been a bracelet. When Merlin inevitably found the item, he would destroy it and Arthur could finally return to normal. 

It was easy to implement his plan at first, as the days passed it broke Merlin’s heart to do so. 

* * *

Watching the King more closely was not Merlin’s idea of a chore. There was no way to deny that Arthur was beautiful. That when he moved, it was with the grace of a thousand dancers. That when he spoke, it was as harmonious as a choir of angels. It didn’t matter that the King’s eyes were shadowed, that couldn’t seem to keep still, that his voice was used to insult and punish. Nothing could diminish the blue of his eyes or the gold of his hair. 

But it wasn’t just his looks that had made watching Arthur enjoyable for Merlin. 

In the years before Arthur noticed Gwen, Merlin had fallen in love with the man. Arthur was going to be the greatest King the world would ever see. He would grow to be wise, kind and good. A prime example of what an honorable and truthful man could be.

Merlin loved that it was so easy to love the King. So easy to understand him, to cherish all the aspects that Arthur chose to share with the world and those that remained private to everyone but Merlin. 

Merlin knew Arthur like the palm of his hand. Had learned to read his behavior and expressions the same way he had learned to read books: with unmatchable curiosity and a desire to consume every new world until he knew everything there was to know. 

A quiet part of Merlin’s heart was, for the lack of a better word, hopeful. The Queen was gone, Merlin loved Arthur and maybe one day, Arthur could love Merlin back. It was a stupid hope, but like all hope, it slowly began to build until Merlin could do nothing else but believe in it. One day, the King would love him. They would grow old together, two sides of the same coin. There would not be biological children, but Merlin could picture himself surrounded by the kids they had adopted. He could see Arthur with grey and golden hair sleeping soundly next to Merlin. It was thanks to this hope that he could bring himself to follow the King day after day.

As Merlin watched, it became fairly obvious that the change in Arthur’s behavior was more extensive than he had previously thought, the enchantment powerful. The King didn’t _speak_ with anyone. Oh sure, he exchanged words with a lot of people, but they were all meaningless short conversations. More often than not, Arthur would just say something, let the other person speak for a second and then interrupt them to reiterate what he had already said. Every single world that escaped the confines of Arthur’s lips was superficial. 

When Arthur had been unwilling to talk with Merlin about Gwen, Merlin assumed he was talking with someone else about her. With Leon or Gaius or even Agravaine, but now it was clear that Arthur hadn’t talked with anyone about his heartbreak. 

It wasn’t only the lack of conversations that worried Merlin. Arthur was constantly playing with the silver and gold ring that he always wore in his left thumb. It was a nervous habit. One that Arthur took great care not to do in front of others. But now he did it constantly, stopping for short moments just to start again. Arthur was also injured a lot. Sword wounds inflicted during training, peach and purple bruises all along his arms and legs, but he took nothing for the pain. 

Arthur also turned a blind eye to the abuse the servants endured. Abuse that was dealt by the nobles that visited Camelot. When a bruised and limping maid had come to him for aid after a noblewoman had beaten her with a shoe, Arthur did not raise a single finger to help. When a knight had been killed during a patrol, the King didn’t give the family of the deceased the traditional money they were awarded. Once, Merlin saw him walk past a hungry child and it almost made him weep. The taxes rose and the rose higher still. The tax collectors were ordered to be merciless as they took the people’s coin. If it was any other king, no one would bat an eye at this behaviors. No one would expect anything different. But the behavior wasn’t coming from another king, it was coming from Arthur. 

_When the Queen left,_ the people now whispered _she took with her the King’s kindness._

* * *

Eventually, more months passed. Arthur’s behavior became more worrisome and Merlin was growing desperate. He had been unable to find the enchanted item. So he started to believe that the root cause was a spell. He searched for a cure and found none. He spoke to the dragon about a possible solution and was met with silence. He tried using potions, calling the powers of the spirits, focusing his power to eradicate the cause of Arthur’s behavior. Nothing worked. He had even managed to expose Agrivaine as the snake he was, but Arthur hadn't changed back. In fact, he had grown even colder.

Gaius would try to convince Merlin that they should get used to this new Arthur. That maybe it truly was just the loss of Guinevere that was causing Arthur to behave in such a way. _After all_ , the physician would say, _Uther was the same after Ygraine_. 

* * *

During a cold winter day, Merlin was forced to admit that maybe he wasn’t the one meant to save Arthur this time. Maybe it was time to listen to the maids' advice. 

_If the King's heart is broken_ they would say _then only the Queen can mend it._

* * *

With his heart heavy in his chest, Merlin decided to tell Arthur the truth about Gwen’s betrayal. The horrible hope, that had grown like a fire that had been fanned for too long, made the possibility that Gwen could succeed where Merlin had failed, burn. And yet, he would endure the fire of a million forges to ease some of the pain he sometimes glimpsed on Arthur’s eyes. 

The servant gathered his courage. After the end of another long banquet, one that had forced the servants to skip meal after meal to prepare for it, Merlin and Arthur walked back to the King’s Chambers. Merlin two steps behind, like he had been commanded to do. 

Arthur was dressed in black, Camelot’s red cloak adorning his shoulders. He had a heavy necklace on, a leather cuff on his right wrist and in his left thumb his silver and gold ring. His unused leather gloves held tightly on his hand. 

“Sire,” Merlin said as soon as they reached the grand room. Before Arthur could order him to do something or he lost his courage. He couldn’t look Arthur in the eye. “There is something that you must know.” Arthur waved his hand around, giving Merlin permission to keep speaking. The need for permission was a new development, one that made Merlin seethe. “I have recently acquired proof that Gwen…”

“Do not say _her_ name.” Arthur said. His voice was as hard as steel. Merlin flinched when Arthur brought down his hand against the table. Making the candlesticks rattle and forcing Merlin to look at Arthur in the eye.

“That the Queen...” Merlin amended as quickly as he could, looking for the man he loved that was so effectively hidden behind the curse. “was under an enchantment.” Dead quiet filled the room. Arthur’s brow furrowed. He slowly placed the gloves on the table. 

“What.” 

“I heard that a bracelet owned by the Queen had gone missing, I recently found it.” A small lie, one more deception. “I intended to bring it to you right away Sire, but when Gaius saw it he became curious. He says that the bracelet made Gwen believe she was in love with Lord Benedict.”

Instead of acknowledging what Merlin was saying, Arthur asked “How dare you speak their names in my presence?” the King looked furious, angrier than Merlin had believed the man capable. Merlin continued on, ignoring the heavy glare directed his way.

“Forgive me Sire, but this is wonderful news.” Merlin rambled. “The Queen can finally return home.”

“No.” Arthur said, so low that it forced Merlin to close the distance between them in the hopes of hearing. But it didn’t matter how lowly Arthur spoke, this was the first time in more than eleven months that Merlin felt like he was truly hearing his love again. “She can't.” 

“Why not? If she comes back you will start feeling better, you will stop behaving so uncharacteristically. Everything will return to normal. If you send for her now, Gwen could be here before Yule! You know how much she loved to light the log.”

“Merlin, you don’t get it.” Merlin took a deep breath. He couldn’t remember when was the last time Arthur had said his name. He did get it, he was the only one who did. With Gwen back, Arthur would be restored to normal. Camelot would have its King and Queen back and everything would be finally good. Why couldn’t Arthur see that? Merlin didn’t even care that when it was revealed that the Queen’s betrayal had been caused by magic the citizens would grow more fearful of it, not if it meant having Arthur back. Sure, people wouldn’t believe the truth at first, not after eleven months but they would grow to accept it, especially if the King made an effort to spread it. Speaking of, Arthur had taken it especially well, it seemed like the idea of Merlin lying had never crossed his mind. Arthur didn’t look relieved or any less angry. Merlin could not see any regret on the King’s face. Abruptly he realized that he couldn't even see any surprise in Arthur’s eyes.

“You knew it was an enchantment,” Merlin accused. Hoping against hope that he is wrong. “didn’t you?” 

“I did.” Arthur confirmed. No hesitation, not a single drop of remorse.

“And you still banished her?” Merlin screamed. It didn’t matter what Merlin felt for Arthur, Gwen was his friend and he missed her terribly at times.”You forced an innocent woman to abandon her friends and family. You willingly made her lose her home!”

“I did and I would do it again.” Arthur’s eyes started hardening, his gaze became unwavering. Even though they are standing in the same room, the distance between them felt impossibly wide.

“I don’t understand what is happening. It doesn't make any sense.” Merlin said more to himself than to Arthur. His voice tinted with an uncomfortable whine. Was Merlin wrong? was there really an enchantment? one been placed even before Gwen left? Had Merlin missed the signs with Arthur the same way he had missed them with Gwen? 

“You truly want to know what is happening Merlin? Well then, let me tell you.” With the steel of his voice replaced with rough emotions, Arthur continued without waiting for Merlin’s assent. “I have been betrayed time after time. My trust has been broken by the people who are supposed to love me.” Arthur cleared his throat. “I don’t know what I did to make the people I love hate me.” Merlin took a step forward, he felt a powerful need to comfort Arthur, even though his mind was in turmoil. Merlin felt the need to explain to Arthur that it wasn’t him who was at fault. It was the world, it was everyone but him. Arthur was perfect. But the King took a step back and Merlin’s feet stopped moving. The sorcerer fought back a gasp. In all the years he had known the King, never had he seen him take a step back. “Fathers, uncles, sisters, friends, wives they are supposed to love you best, love you more.” With each relationship he mentioned, Arthur’s voice rose in volume. “They shouldn’t be the ones that reach into your chest to rip out your heart and laugh at your face as you scream in pain.” Finally, his voice broke. Merlin tried to go to him once more, tried to speak once more, but Arthur didn’t let him, Arthur stepped back again, took a shaky breath and continued speaking. His voice once again calm and collected. His eyes shining with unspilled emotion. “With Guinevere,” He said and he choked on her name. “I couldn’t be bothered to care anymore. Enchantment or not, Guinevere would have eventually betrayed me. Be it for another man who is better than me or, because like everyone else, she would grow to despise me.” Merlin opened his mouth to refute. “Don't,” Arthur said before he could. “Even _you_ know, if Lancelot was here, still alive and healthy, she would have betrayed me far sooner than she actually did.” 

There is no way to argue with Arthur when he is right, even if it made everything inside of Merlin pulse in pain. Even if it made Arthur bow his head. But still, Merlin tried “Gwen would never. She loves you and, even if she didn’t, she puts her duty above everything else. She is the queen of queens, just as you are the king of kings.”

“You don’t understand Merlin,” Arthur said, he took two steps forward, taking back the ground he had given away and then turned his back to Merlin. He started playing immediately with the ever-present thumb ring. “The love Guinevere and Lancelot shared, that kind of devotion, of all-consuming adoration, no one can fight it for long. Eventually, the heart’s true desires win over everything and everyone, including duty. When a heart loves that strongly it can never be silenced for long, it's beats are far too loud to ignore, the ache too painful to forget. That kind of love… that kind of love destroys worlds and builds universes.” Arthur didn’t know, but Merlin did understand. He intimately knew of the feelings Arthur was describing. Merlin felt his heart aching with recognition at the picture the King was creating with his words. _That is how I feel for you,_ the servant’s heart screamed, _innumerably, eternally._ But as loud as his heart screamed, Arthur couldn’t hear. “I am an arrogant man Merlin, my pride has always been my biggest flaw. I couldn’t forgive her betrayal, enchantment or not, when she would have done it anyway.” The King shook his head and he stopped fiddling with his ring. “I knew the real scope of the love they shared and I still chose to marry Guinevere. I chose to torture them by forcing them to share space constantly. Masochistically waiting for the day their hearts would finally win and their convictions cave. Sadistically enjoying showcasing Lancelot a simple truth: even though she loved him more than her own breath, she still chose me.”

When he turned back to face Merlin, Arthur’s eyes were cold, not a sign of emotion. Just blank, ice-cold. His eyes and his words working in tandem to slowly and carefully break down all of the excuses Merlin had created.

“You didn’t.” he denied. “You could never be so intentionally cruel. You just noticed too late that what you were doing was causing them pain. Maybe you were...are under an enchantment. One that made you behave in such a way.” 

Arthur huffed a cruel and mocking laugh. He took a step forward, coming closer to his servant. When he spoke his voice was so sweet that it was cloying. “You have always thought the best of me.” Merlin nodded. This was no secret. “You would more easily believe that my actions are the result of enchantment rather than my own will.” Merlin blushed at the truth of the words. Suddenly the cloying voice was gone. “Wake up Merlin.” Arthur snapped. “There is no spell to be broken, no magic you can do that can ‘ _save me’_.” the voice of the King had taken a dangerous edge. _So he knows_. Merlin thought. It was surprising to have the confession of knowledge even amongst all the mocking, yet truthful, words _. He is speaking the truth._ There really was nothing Merlin could do. “You need to understand, I’m not a good man. I have never been one.” 

“You are '' Merlin tried to argue, but his voice was a whisper that was drowned when Arthur spoke over him.

“You are blind to my faults, ignorant to my cruelness. You are the only person I know that would rather believe an illusion. The only one who chooses to forget that, even if I pretended otherwise, I will always be my father’s son.” Merlin took a step back. Arthur was cornering him against the wall. Coming closer and closer until their noses almost touch. “And not even you, _Emrys,_ ” Merlin’s druid name, full of blame and accusations, sounded like poison as it came out of Arthur’s mouth, “can ever dare to change that.” Arthur’s cold eyes were the only familiar thing in the room. Everything inside of him was screaming and protesting against Arthur’s words, but even in the inmost recesses of his mind, Merlin knew that the King spoke with complete honesty, no man was perfect, but yet Merlin expected and believed in Arthur’s perfection. 

Angry now, that Arthur was being cruel to _him._ That the King was intentionally hitting all of Merlin’s weakest spots. That his friend was mocking him for refusing to see the truth for such a long time, he spat back “You aren’t cruel.” Merlin snarled, the sunlight that always shone behind his eyes illuminating the room, forcing Arthur to avert his eyes from the glare, making their noses brush against each other. “You are a good, honest man. I don’t know what or who made you believe the bullshit you are saying, but by all the gods, I will make them pay for making you see yourself in such light.” Arthur stood in open-mouthed shock for some time. The King nodded, accepting the promise for what it was. Slightly pacified, the sunlight receded and the light in the room returned to normal. When Arthur finally looked at Merlin again, there was a small, hopeless smile adorning his lips and it became obvious that Merlin’s words hadn’t reached him.

“Merlin.” he whispered in the space that remained between them, “We both know that there isn’t a place in Camelot for honesty.” A chisel started pounding against Merlin’s chest, trying to make a hole big enough to reach Merlin’s heart. “We both know that I have never and will never be honest.” Arthur’s hands found their way to Merlin’s chest, pinning the man into place. Merlin gasped. His heart pounded. Arthur's hands were warm, working to brand Merlin as his. “Honesty is a foreign concept to both of us.” The chisel worked harder, making a tiny hole appear. Arthur took a step back, releasing Merlin. Confirming his words. He turned again, his profile to Merlin, his gaze distant. “The only good man in this land died after Samhain night. And even he would have eventually been corrupted by this city. Lancelot would have loved my wife as his under my own roof at night and then call me a friend in the morning.” Arthur shook his head and turned his head to look at Merlin. “By now you should know: Camelot isn’t a place for your naivety Merlin, nor your painful blindness. Camelot is a kingdom whose roots reach into the soul of each and every one of its inhabitants and rots them from the inside. We all pretend otherwise, but no one is safe from the suffocating power Camelot wields. Not you and certainly not me.” The chisel finally made a big enough hole in Merlin’s chest. It was almost ready for the last hit that would finish the job. 

Merlin was crying as he said, scratching his chest against the pain, against the imaginary root he could suddenly feel inside of him. “How can you believe that Arthur?” Merlin shook his head, he felt the sunlight start to flicker “I know you. What you believe to be true is the complete opposite of the man you are.” Arthur opened his mouth. “No,” Merlin said, his eyes shining until the whole room was illuminated. “you now get to listen to me.” Arthur remained open-mouthed but quiet. “I don’t know what came over you in the last months. I don’t know what you must have felt, what you must still feel that is driving you into acting like you didn’t have a heart. That is making you think you need to defend yourself from me. I don’t know why you are choosing to ignore what your heart wants. But I do know that you, Arthur Pendragon, are a _good_ man. Historically, your actions have been guided by honor, your beliefs by kindness. I have always known that you are arrogant, prideful and a liar. But then again, we are all egocentric, beautiful and flawed creatures. But even with these flaws that you can’t seem to ignore, legend will speak of you even after the world we know comes to an end and even after that, I will still love you.” During his speech, Arthur had started bowing into himself. The older man had fallen to the floor, where he had sat, looking up at Merlin. The cold of his blue eyes finally melted away by the sunlight of Merlin’s. The servant followed his King and sat at his side.

After long moments of silence, Arthur spoke:

“Morgana once told me that I am a study in contradictions. I used to drive me crazy that I couldn't figure out what she meant.” Arthur was looking at his own hands. The familiar posture he embraced whenever his older sister was mentioned. After a few moments where Merlin didn’t know what to say, Arthur continued “But I think she was right. I truly am a study in contradictions.” Merlin didn’t believe that. Arthur was simple, familiar, easy to love and understand. “You have chosen to see only the simple parts of me, ones that are easy to digest and admire.” Arthur suddenly said. “And you love those incomplete parts as if it was my whole self, refusing to see the empty spaces.” 

“That is not true,” Merlin said. He almost screamed. His anger showcasing through the lightning that suddenly illuminated the night sky. “I love you as you are.”

“Let me finish.” Arthur commanded and Merlin did. “The man you love is an illusion of your own creation. He doesn't exist. He will never exist. You love an ideal. And that is why, when you look at me, you are left wanting. You are waiting for me to turn into him. Into the wise, good and honorable king. But he is someone I will never be. You will die waiting, loving a ghost, if you don’t learn to see me for who I am. You need to see me as a broken puzzle with a cold interior, razor-sharp edges and a pretty picture that hides it all.” A self-mocking smile marred Arthur’s features, his eyes are still shining with unspilled tears. “And after you see me, after you understand my contradictions, you have to decide if you can love me for who I am.” For the first time, some of those contradictions flashed on Merlin’s mind. The son of a tyrant and a kind woman. The killer of his mother and the legacy of his father. The heir to the throne and the young usurper. A warrior and a lover of peace. A family man with no family. A man who wore his heart in his sleeve and a man who didn’t want anyone to see it. A person who loved with everything in his being and yet didn’t believe he could love. Merlin couldn’t deny that Arthur was right.

The things he loves about Arthur, are all things he expects and wants Arthur to one day possess in spades. He never thinks about how Arthur’s flaws could translate into problematic behavior in the future. When he thinks about Arthur or fantasizes about the King, it's never in the present. It’s always in future months or years. He pictures Arthur with a crown, with eyes that are wise beyond his years, with a willing ear and an open heart. He sees himself sitting next to the King, old and wrinkly as they laugh and share a meal. He loves his fantasies, loves who Arthur has the potential to be and it’s not fair. Not for Arthur, not for himself. 

Can he love the ‘new’ Arthur he is recently being acquainted with? Can he learn to love the cold eyes, the mocking laughs, and the cruel actions? Can he stay by Arthur’s side when he has his barbed walls up and stepping close to him hurts more than staying away? Can he forget the idealized version of the King? Or will he always compare and contrast the man who could have been with the man that is? Can he love an Arthur that describes himself as rotten? Can he love him fully? 

Merlin isn’t sure.

The chisel finally breaks muscle and draws blood. But Arthur isn’t done with the gavel. “I can’t love someone who loves only a fictional version of me.” A lone tear escaped the prison that was Arthur’s need to protect himself from others. “Not again, not after loving so many with my whole self and having them not love me back. My heart wouldn’t survive it.” Merlin extended his arms, an open invitation. Finally, Arthur accepted the comfort Merlin offered, laying his head on Merlin’s shoulder. And even though Merlin felt like Arthur’s sharp edges were piercing his fragile and wounded heart, he held him tightly, rubbing comforting circles that cut his hand on the back of the King.

“I’m here,” _Always_ , his heart demanded. _Probably,_ his mind replied. “and I will stay until you send me away.” He hoped that the order would never come, but still he knew that after today’s revelations maybe one day he would willingly leave Arthur. 

“Merlin, please.” Arthur says, his forehead digging on Merlin’s shoulder, the tears that Arthur had so desperately tried to hide falling freely, his voice breaking as he finally let himself feel his heartbreak. Merlin tries to breathe steadily, but he fails. As he listens to Arthur’s broken voice, the chisel is driven deep into the center of his heart, damaging the organ beyond repair. “Love me. With immeasurable adoration, with ardent desire, without any conditions. Love me wholeheartedly for the rest of our lives. Love me as I am, for I can't let my heart admit that it loves you as such until you do.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I should be writing chapter 8 of The Calling of the Sea, but this story took me by the ear and refused to let go until it was written. 
> 
> This story is my first with an open ending. I look forward to reading what you think. 
> 
> Find me on [Tumblr](http://exolovek.tumblr.com/) or check out my [Merlin Fic's Rec Blog](https://howshitgoes.tumblr.com)


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